2023 was a prolific year for the Fresh4cast app. The planning module in particular has received several new features and upgrades. Weekly demand forecasting and daily demand sensing provide valuable predictions for planners, with significant accuracy gains compared to legacy systems.
"Our biggest accuracy improvement to date was reducing the forecast error in half for a large mixed salads business, compared to the automated forecast a consultancy had set up in their ERP. Then, converting demand projections quickly into material requirements is essential for agile planning," explains Mihai Ciobanu, CEO atFresh4cast. "Based on measurements from users, our Bill of Materials explosion algorithm runs 17 times faster than the incumbent MRP (Dynamics). This is then fed into our stock projection model, using either FEFO or our configurable allocation algorithm."
Michele Dal-olio and Mihai Ciobanu
All of these run within the planning tool, which makes it easy for teams to collaborate like never before. Every update is immediately available to all the relevant people, at the level of detail each of them needs. And bulk transforms make it possible to adopt inputs from others or make your own changes in seconds, rather than minutes or even hours in legacy systems.
"Our customers have been able to achieve 5-10 times better responsiveness using our tools, making decisions faster and with better data, without increasing human workload.
This sector has a much higher natural variability than others, because both supply and demand are sharply affected by weather and other factors, creating ripple effects that test the limits of supply chains. These effects are compounded by the high complexity of SKUs and ingredients, driven by retailers approval rules and traceability requirements, all done for the right reasons of course. And after many years of relative stability, the past few seasons have seen large increases in costs. In this challenging context, our planning and forecasting tools enhance our customers’ decision making process with clarity and agility. Last year we increased our scope of work with existing customers and started a pilot with one of the largest players in the world. We are fortunate to work with great people in some of the most successful companies in the fresh produce sector, and it's very satisfying to see that our software makes a difference in their business."
Fresh4cast will at Fruit Logistica in Hall 5.2 D-13
For more information:
Mihai Ciobanu
Fresh4cast
Tel; +44 7919 286716
mihai.ciobanu@fresh4cast.com
www.fresh4cast.com